Game



R 'P. DIETRICH Dec. 21, 1937.

GAME

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28; 1956 FIG. 2.

FIG. m as 1Q a AHHH INVENTOR. RIJ P DiaTr-ich ATTORN EY Patented Dec.21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME Roy Perry Dietrich, Bayside,N. Y. Application September 28, 1936, Serial No. 103,013

3 Claims.

This invention relates to games.

An important object of the invention is to provide a game apparatuswhich may be manipulated so that one or more of a plurality of readilymovable, indicia-bearing game pieces or counters, associated therewithand having curved surfaces, will come to rest in a certain position forscoring, such position being one wherein the game piece will reveal thisindicia, no matter how much it may have rolled about due to this curvedsurface.

Another important object is to provide a game piece or counter having acurved surface broken by a plurality of spaced-apart flattened surfaces,

the flattened surfaces bearing indicia, so disposed that after the gamepiece has rolled upon its curved surface and has come to rest, one ofthe flattened indicia-bearing surfaces will be up-' permost, or in aposition to be readily observed.

Still another important object is to provide a game piece or counterhaving a curved surface and a plurality of spaced apart areas bearingindicia so disposed that after the game piece has rolled upon its curvedsurface and has come to rest, one of the spaced apart areas bearingindicia will be uppermost or in a position so that the indicia may bereadily observed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,and in which draw- 1ngs:

Figure l is a top plan view of one embodiment of the novel gameapparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same, with one of the walls of ahousing, associated therewith, removed so as to reveal portions of theconstruction.

Figure 3 is a section substantially upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2 butwith the wall, removed in Figure 2, in place.

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the novel counters or game pieces,which may be associated with the game apparatus, illustrating a methodof determining the position of indicia-bearing areas to be disposedthereon. V

Figure 5 is an elevation of one of the novel counters or game pieces.

Figures 6 and '7 are perspective views of the game piece shown in Figure5, and illustrating two positions assumed by the game piece.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the game apparatus.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 8, with oneof its walls removed so as to reveal portions of the constructionbeneath.

Figure 10 is a third embodiment of the novel. game apparatus, employinga game piece of a different construction than those illustrated inFigures 1 to 9.

Figurell is an elevation of a grouping of game pieces which may beemployed with the game apparatus shown.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown threeembodiments of the invention, the letter A may. designate the firstembodiment thereof, this embodiment comprising the housing B and gamepieces or counters C, the letter D a second embodiment of the inven- 9tion, including, for example, the housing E and game pieces or countersC, and the letter F a third embodiment of the invention including, forexample, the housing E and game pieces or counters G.

In the form A of the invention, shown particu-' larly in Figures 1 to 3,the novel game apparatus includes a housing B which may comprise sidewalls I5, end walls IS, an upper or top wall I1, and a bottom or lowerwall l8. One wall, preferably the top wall l'l, may be detachably'secured to the housing as by screws l9 and provides a closure or cover.for the housing B. V

The top wall I! may be provided with a sight opening 20, extendingacross its longitudinal medial line and inwardly of one of the end wallsHi. This sight opening 20 may be provided with a transparency 2|, suchas glass, suitably secured in place.

Means may be provided to guide the game 3 counters C or G so that theywill appear at the sight opening 20, and such means preferably comprisesa pair of like members 22, each having a surface 23 converging towardsthe longitudinal medial line of the housing and towards the plane 40 ofthe sight opening 20. In the exampleshown, these members 22 comprise alength of suitable material, such as metal, bent to provide the surfaces23 and secured to the walls of the housing by any approved means, suchas nails 24. 45

In the example shownin Figures 1 and 2, the sight opening 20 is wideenough to reveal three game counters at once, andm'eans may be providedto accommodate three game pieces and retain them in place at the sightopening. This '50 means preferably comprises three pockets or stalls 25,which may be formed by portions of the material making up the members 22and portions of the bottom wall l8and transparency 2|. In providing thepockets 25, the material making 5 up, in part, the members 22, may bebent or doubled upon itself to form spaced apart partitions 26, and bentto form two end partitions 21, as shown in Figure 2. The pockets 25 opentowards or into the interior or chamber 28 of the housing B.

If desired, a plurality of spaced apart projections 29, extending intothe housing from the walls thereof, may be provided. These projections29 aid in causing rolling about and mixing of the game counters inclosedby the housing.

The game counter C may be described as substantially spherical, eachhaving curved rolling surfaces 30, each surface spaced substantially alike distance from the center of the counter. Spaced apart, over theouter surface of the counter, is indicia 3|. Preferably, this indicia 3|is disposed as folloWs:- Assuming a cube inclosing one of the countersC, where a line projected from each corner of the cube strikes thesurface of the counter, may be disposed the center of one of the spacedapart indicia 3|. In addition, where a line, projecting from the centerof each face of the cube, intersects the surface of the sphere, may bethe center of another similar spaced apart indicia 3 I. Employing thismethod of disposing the indicia, each counter C will be provided withfourteen of these spaced apart indicia, which may comprise numerals.Other methods may be employed and a slightly less or much greater numberof indicia areas may be provided. Preferably, this spaced apart indicia3| is disposed upon a small flattened face or surface 32 of the counterso that if there are fourteen of the spaced apart indicia areas 3 I.,there will be fourteen spaced apart flattened surfaces 32. Preferably,the spaced apart indicia upon any one counter will be the same for thatcounter but it need not be the same as that on another counter. Withthis arrangement, no matter how the counter C may come to rest beforethe sight opening 20, there will be an indicia area 3| in such aposition that it may be observed easily through the sight opening 20. Bythe term easily is meant that a person gazing into the sight openingwill see at least one indicia area 30 at or so near the surface nearesthim of the game counter C, that he will be able to read it readily. Suchgame counters differ from spheres having'one or several indicia areasthereon which areas may be read with difficulty, if at all, except if bychance the indicia area happens to be uppermost or nearly uppermost.Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate how the game counter C may come to restupon one of the flattened surfaces 32, for instance, and always presentan indicia area directly in the line of sight of the person gazing downupon the counter, and without the necessity of the person moving hishead in order to see clearly the indicia. Even if the game counters donot happen to come to rest upon a flattened surface, there will be anindicia area 31 so disposed that it may be readily observed without theperson, gazing down upon the counter, moving his head.

In the form D, shown in Figures 8 and 9, the construction of the housingE is preferably the same as the housing B except that in the housing E,the sight opening 35 is smaller so that it will disclose to view but onecounter and, consequently, there is but one pocket 36, in place of thethree pockets 25 of the housing B. This difference necessitates areconstruction of the length of material making up the convergingsurfaces 23 and partitions, so that there are two partitions 31,corresponding to the partitions 21 of the housing B. Otherwise, similarreference characters designate corresponding parts of both housings Band E.

The embodiment F, shown in Figure 10, is preferably like form D, exceptthat certain indicia such as that shown at 40 may be disposed upon awall of the housing E and counters G employed, which are preferablyspheres, which may be colored, in any approved way, with differentcolors. For instance, one sphere 45 may be black, a second sphere 43,red, 2. third sphere :11, green, a fourth sphere 48, yellow, a fifthsphere 49, blue, a sixth sphere 5!], orange, a seventh sphere 5|, pink,an eighth sphere 52, brown, a ninth sphere, 53, lavender, and a tenthsphere 54, white.

This form F is particularly applicable where the game apparatus is smalland, consequently, the counters must be so small that it would beimpossible to dispose the indicia, provided for the counters C, thereon.It is now apparent that no matter how any one of the counters G come torest at the sight opening, the player observing it will readily note thecolor and may compare with the chart of indicia 40 so as to learn itsvalue.

An example of the employment of the game apparatus is as follows:- Withthe counters free to move about, as is apparent in Figures 2 and 3, butso disposed that they cannot be touched by the players, the latter mayagitate the apparatus in any way, i. e., such as shaking it, rotating itor simply tipping it in such a manner that the counters will roll downthe inner surface of the bottom wall "3 and one or more of them willappear at the sight opening, dependent upon the size of this opening.The players can readily observe the indicia on the counter or countersand the indicia, if figures and there are three counters in sight, isread from left to right. In the example shown in Figure 1, the figuresin sight represent 305, and the one counter in sight in Figure 10represents 0. Preferably, the players play in turn and the one havingthe highest score wins. Variations of the use of the game apparatus aremany.

By the construction shown, the counters are so disposed that, at notime, may they be touched by the hands of the players, they are belowthe plane of the wall containing the sight opening at all times, and, asthey come to rest in the pocket or pockets provided, the indicia uponthem will be readily observable every time by the players.

It will be noted in Figure 2 that there are 30 game pieces shown, therebeing three game pieces bearing naughts, three bearing ones, threebearing twos, and so on up to and including three bearing nines. Thus,it will be seen that it is possible for the three game pieces appearingat the sight opening 20 to count from 000 to 999. The ten game pieces,shown in Figure 9, are numbered from 0 to 9 and, consequently, anynumber from 0 to 9 may appear at the sight opening 35. This is given,only by way of example, since I do not want to be limited to theemployment of ten or thirty game pieces.

While the device may be used as a game in itself, it may also beemployed as an accessory for counting or indicating the movement whichmay be made by a game piece for any other type of game.

Various changes may be made to the forms of invention herein shown anddescribed, without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In a game apparatus, a housing includingsubstantially paralleling side walls, substantially paralleling endwalls and a top and a bottom wall normal thereto enclosing a chamber andprovided with a sight opening in said top wall adjacent one side wall,and an incline within said chamber extending from one of the end wallstowards said side wall, said chamber having a pocket at said sightopening, said pocket being provided with a bottom wall and substantiallyvertical side walls, said incline extending to the mouth of said pocket,said incline and said walls of said pocket comprising a strip ofmaterial rigidly secured at one of its ends to said one end wall of saidhousing and. formed into said walls of said pocket, said strip ofmaterial being rigidly secured to said side wall of said housing andextending from said top wall to said bottom wall of said housing.

2. In a game apparatus, a housing including substantially parallelingside walls, substantially paralleling end walls and a top and a bottomwall normal thereto enclosing a chamber and provided with a sightopening in said top wall adjacent one side wall, and an incline withinsaid chamber extending from one of the end walls towards said side wall,said chamber having a pocket at said sight opening, said pocket beingprovided with a substantially straight bottom wall, paralleling saidside wall of said housing, and spaced apart side walls normal to saidbottom wall of said pocket, said incline extending to the mouth of saidpocket, said incline and said 7 walls of said pocket comprising a stripof material rigidly secured at one of its ends to said one end wall ofsaid housing and formed into said walls of said pocket, said strip ofmaterial being rigidly secured to said side wall of said housing andextending from said top wall to said bottom wall of said housing.

3. In a game apparatus, a housing including substantially parallelingside walls, substantially paralleling end walls and a top and a bottomwall normal thereto enclosing a chamber and provided with a sightopening in said top wall adjacent one side wall, a pair of inclineswithin said chamber, one extending from one end wall and the otherextending from the second end wall, towards said side wall, said chamberhaving at least a pair of pockets at said sight opening, said pocketsbeing provided with bottom walls and side walls, said inclines and saidwalls of said pockets comprising a strip of material rigidly secured atits ends to said end walls of said housing and formed into said walls ofthe pockets, the strip of material being doubled upon itself between twoadjacent pockets, said strip of material being rigidly secured to saidside wall of said housing at said pockets and extending from said topWall to said bottom wall of said housing, whereby said strip of materialprovides said incline and the walls of said pockets and also providesbracing for the walls of said housing and a support for said top wallthereof.[ 7

ROY PERRY DIETRICH. V

